Well sorry I’ve been away so long, toured much of the summer with the Fixx. And have been very busy working since I got home. But yes I did buy a new(old) car. A 1961 Chevrolet Corvair Monza 900. I have yet to write about these cars because I know little to nothing about them. But I stumbled on one for $700 and decided to go for it. It’s all original, but fairly worn out. It runs, but barely. Had to have it towed home. I spend a lot of time staring at it wondering where to start. But I did buy a great book by Richard FInch…. “How to keep your Corvair alive”. It’s a highly informative source of information. I recommend it for anyone new to Corvairs.
So the car is straight, and complete. It does have 4 or 5 rust spots that will require cutting and patching. But is in overall good condition for what I paid. And I’m finding out that southern California is a good place to be when restoring a Corvair. Their are many Corvair specialty shops in LA and Orange county.
So I plan to start dismantling the car very soon, starting by removing the engine and sending it off for a rebuild. And I plan to go through the body and do a pretty thorough prep for paint. I’m going to go a little further with this car than I will my Rambler(by the way, sold my Dart and Valiant…. Sold the Dart to Barret-Jacksons Steve Magnante). The Corvair is such a pretty car I have to it some kind of justice. I plan on getting it close to it’s original condition. But I’m not going to go crazy and do a concourse level restoration. Just want it to be a good looking driver. So I’ll try to write a little more often as I now have some projects to get going on. The Rambler is holding up fine. I drive her every day, and haven’t had any problems. I’ve done a bit more body prep to it. Hope to paint it soon.
Although one little issue I’m having with the Rambler is in the electrical system. If it sits for 24 hours or more the battery drains. When I turn the car off the alternator warning light comes on. But when it’s running it charges fine. I replaced the starter solenoid, and the voltage regulator but it’s still got a small drain on the battery coming form somewhere. Haven’t sorted it yet. I’ve just been disconnecting the battery every night. But that will probably be my next topic.
